Device for facilitating the putting on and taking off of stockings



May 31, 1 DEVICE FOR FACILITATING THE PUTTING ON AND TAKING OFF OF STOCKINGS Filed Oct. :51, 19:50

in We 77 75 7" @221 WW Patented May 31, 1932 UNITED STATES IGNAZ J'OSEF GENTIL,

or BERLIN, GERMANY DEVICE FOR FACILITATING THE PUTTING ON AND TAKING OFF OF STOCKINGS Application filed October 31, 1930, Serial No.

The subject of this invention is a device for facilitating the putting on and taking off of stockings, particularly rubber stockings and compression stockings, which oper- 5. ations have generally required considerable effort. It is often difiicult to push the foot through the narrow foot part and the front part of an ordinary close-fitting stocking, especially a new one, and these difficulties are greatly increased in the case of a rubber stocking, compression stocking, or similar foot covering, as in order to be able to exert a pressure on the foot these must not only be made much smaller than an ordinary stocking, but must also be made particularly narrow in order to obtain their action on the ankle of the wearer.

The difiiculty of putting on and taking off compression stockings is increased as aforesaid owing to the fact that they do not generally consist of a. material as fine, thin and smooth as that of ordinary stockings, and furthermore, when putting them on, the pressure of the clinging stocking fabric must be overcome. The material of such stockings clings to the skin of the foot, especially at the heel, on account of the natural moisture of the foot, and can then only be brought into the correct position by pulling and dragging.

This applies also when before putting on the rubber stocking or the like, the foot is covered with a protective understocking. The efforts involved in the drawing on of the rubber stocking, or the like, not only result in an increased perspiration of the skin, but also often causes swelling of the foot, so that the putting on and taking off is again made more difficult. Finally, the fabric of the stocking itself is stretched and injured by the excessive pulling and dragging, especially in taking it over the heel.

The invention has for its chief object to avoid these difliculties by the use of a suitable device, which according to the invention consists of an angle shaped sliding piece of smooth and preferably slightly flexible material such as artificial horn, pasteboard, celluloid, cellon, or the like, having a longer limb adapted to rest against the sole of the 492,534, and in Germany November 13, 1929.

foot, and a shorter limb to bear against the ieei.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, the same will now be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 represents in perspective a device made in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 represents the device shewn in Figure 1 in the operative position, after a rubber stocking has been put on,

Figure 3 represents in side view a somewhat simpler form of construction of the device.

The device illustrated in Figure 1 consists of an angle shaped bar preferably worked out of one piece of material and having a longer limb a and a shorter limb b. The longer limb a consists of a slightly curved part adapted to follow the shape of the sole F of the foot, and the shorter limb b has a hollowed out part adapted to fit the heel thereof, so that it can extend a short distance around each side of the heel of the foot.

Before putting on the stocking, the device is so placed on the sole of the foot with the longer limb a turned to the front, that the heel of the foot is covered by the shorter limb b. If now the stocking has been drawn over the toes, it slides on to the smooth lower surface of the long limb a, and easily slides further on over the smooth bulge of the shorter limb b. The heel hole (Z made in the usual manner in the stocking 0 is then at once brought to the correct position without undue pulling and dragging. The upper edge of the short limb b can then be released by slightly lifting the edge of the stocking above the heel hole, when the device can be drawn 0 out of the heel hole cl without effecting the a position of the stocking.

On taking off the stocking, the long limb a of the device is pushed through the heel hole d of the stocking between the foot and the sole of the stocking, and on slightly lifting the edge of the stocking above the heel hole, the short limb b is placed within the heel hole. The stocking on being taken off, slides over the smooth outer surface of the device easily and Without any excessive pulling or dragging.

The more simply constructed device according to Figure 3 also consists of an angle shaped sliding piece with longer limb or and shorter limb b. The longer limb is here made flat, and the shorter limb is only adapted to the heel by bending inwards the upper parts of the edges of the heel piece.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A device made of smooth material to facilitate the putting on and taking off of stockings, said device comprising a sole plate and a heel plate positioned at approximately a right angle in relation to said sole plate, said heel plate being curved at its junction with the sole plate to merge into the outline of said sole plate, and said heel plate being also curved inwardly at each side to present it concave surface to the back of the users ieel.

2. A device made of smooth material to facilitate the putting on and taking off of stockings, comprising a sole plate and a heel plate positioned at approximately a right angle in relation to said sole plate, said sole plate being curved in the direction of its length to present a convex surface to the sole of the user, said heel plate being curved in the reverse direction at its junction With the sole plate to merge into the outline of said sole plate, and said heel plate being also curved in a transverse direction to present a concave surface to the back of the users heel.

IGNAZ JOSEF GENTIL. 

